The 74-gun ship is an excellent blend of firepower and handling. It is a stable gun platform and has more guns than many armies!

The 74 is a supremely practical naval weapon and regarded as the best balance between defensive strength and manoeuvrability. A two-deck design, it is strong enough to mount very heavy 32-pounder cannons on its lower gun deck. These, when combined with the upper deck’s 18-pounders, give it a devastating broadside, although this is best delivered at close quarters.

The French developed the 74-gun ship concept in the mid-18th Century. The design was so good that other navies lost no time in copying it for themselves or taking French ships in action. Many French vessels were made from green timber that “worked” in heavy seas and therefore leaked; the French accepted this because they believed the green timber made the ships resilient. British 74s were well built too, although there was a regrettable tendency to save money by recycling timbers, along with their woodworm and rot, from older vessels!

The last 74, HMS Implacable, was finally scuttled in 1949! Built in 1800 by the French, and then captured by the British at Trafalgar in 1805, she stayed in active service until 1842. She ended her days as a coal hulk.

For many factions, 74-gun ships of the line are the best non-steam powered ships in their ship rosters. Possessing a versatile balance of speed, durability, and firepower, 74-gun ships of the line are capable of tackling nearly any opponent. They have superior or equal stats in every category compared to 50-gun ships-of-the-line and 64-gun ships-of-the-line, with their only weakness being their higher cost. They are only outclassed by heavier steam ships and the largest ships of the line, but are cheaper to build and require lower-tier dock buildings. For most factions, the 74-gun ship-of-the-line is the heaviest ship type available before unlocking steam technology.

80-gun Ship-of-the-Lines are equal or superior to 74-gun ships of the line in every category, but are somewhat more expensive to build and maintain. For those factions that cannot build 80-gun ships-of-the-line, until Ironclads and 80-gun Steam Ships are available, 74-gun ships-of-the-line are the heaviest ships.

Some factions' ship statistics are different from others; differences are listed below (traits that to not differ are not listed).